Cigarette lighter



June 15, 1954 s. G. LlPlc ETAL CIGARETTE LIGHTER Filed Oct. 12, 1949 FIGB INVENTORS sYLvEsTER G. LlPlc FARNHAM F. BOYLE LUTHER S. LYON BY (69% ATTORNEY Patented June 15, 195.4

CIGARETTE LIGHTER Sylvester G. Lipic, Sappington,

St. Louis, and Luther S. Mo., assignors, by mesn point, Inc., Missouri Farnham F. Boyle, Lyon, Webster Groves,

e assignments, to Rite- St. Louis', Mo., a corporation of Application October 12, 1949, Serial No. 121,016

3 Claims. l

This invention relates to pyrophoric lighters, commonly referred to as cigarette lighters. The improvements which constitute the invention comprise features which make the lighter more convenient to use and more durable in service, while adding to facility in manufacture.

The summary about to follow includes the salient features of the invention and will assist in understanding the invention and the preferred embodiment specifically illustrated in the accom panying drawings and later described in detail. It may be understood, however, that the invention is defined in the accompanying claims, and the inclusion in this summary of some particular element or arrangement does not necessarily limit the invention since part of the invention may be practiced to advantage without using the whole.

The lighter has a casing body which forms a fuel chamber from which projects a wick. A face plate is secured over and to the top of the body and has ears to which is hinged a cap covering the plate, a pin passing through the ears and a lug or boss projecting from the cap to form the hinge connection. The lug and the ears are enclosed in a recess in the top of the casing body to conceal the hinge. A well is formed in the body below the recess to house a spring and spring sleeve, bearing against the lug to releasably hold the cap in open or closed position.

The invention is directed particularly, but not exclusively, to a lighter of the visible fuel supply type in which an auxiliary reservoir communicates with the aforesaid fuel chamber. A transfer valve has a stem which projects through the top of the casing body and controls flow of fuel from the reservoir to the chamber. The reservoir is lled through a bore formed through the casing body, which is stopped by a tting or spark wheel adapter threaded in the bore.

The face plate (to which the cap is hinged and which covers the top of the casing body) is secured to the body preferably by a screw in the form of a threaded bushing which ts about the valve stem.

The face plate has an opening or hole which registers with the top of the bore in the casing body (which, as previously explained, holds the spark wheel adapter). A key notch in the hole receives a key on the spark wheel holder so the spark wheel is properly positioned with respect to the Wick.

The spark wheel adapter has a socket to receive the shank of the spark Wheel holder. The shank is tapered and a spring clip, or detent, is positioned in the socket to engage the smallest diameter of the shank when the spark wheel holder is in operative position, thus releasably securing the holder in proper position.

A wick holder is secured to the face plate. A wick tube may be employed, in which case it is secured at its top end to the top of the casing body and in position to register with the opening in the Wick holder secured on the face plate.

In the drawings, Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of a cigarette lighter embodying the improved lighter mechanism of the instant invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the lighter showing the parts thereof in their assembled relationship;

Fig. 3 is a top view of a hinge plate employed as a part of the lighter mechanism assembly Fig. 4 is a top View of a lighter mechanism body showing therein a valve stem bushing, a wick tube and a spark Wheel holder adapter employed in the lighter mechanism;

Fig. 5 is an exploded view showing side elevation of the spark wheel holder and spark wheel adapter; and

Fig. 6 is a cross sectional view showing in particular the clip for securing the spark wheel holder in position.

The improved lighter mechanism of the instant invention includes a lighter mechanism body Il (Fig. 2) which may be of any suitable material, such as a plastic or metal. This body is supported on a transparent fluid reservoir housing l2 to which the same is sealed as a closure for a Iluid reservoir I3. Within the body l I there is provided a fluid well M which is filled with an absorbent material such as cotton. Also within the body I l is a cylindrical compartment l5 which is open at the top of the body and extends into the fluid reservoir i3. This compartment is threaded internally at I6 to receive a spark wheel holder adapter Il, later to be described. The well I4 of the body is closed at its top by means of an insert I8 (Fig. 4) which is sealed to the body. This insert has an internally threaded valve stem bushing i9 secured thereto and also supports a perforated Wick tube 2l which is sealed in an opening in the insert. The perforated wick tube 2i extends approximately to the bottom of the Well I4 for the purpose of retaining an end of a wick 22 at the bottom of the well. Fluid from the reservoir I3 is admitted to the iiuid well i4 through an opening 23 in the bottom of the body Il, which opening is normally closed by a valve 24, the latter being held in its closed position by means of a coil spring 25. The valve isoperated by means shank slidably disposed within said adapter, means carried on said adapter extending through said slot and engaging against said shank to resist frictionally relative sliding movement between said shank and said adapter, and means externally of the adapter for releasably securing said adapter Within said body portion.

3. In a lighter, a casing body forming a fuel chamber and having a socket open at the top of the body, said body having a notch extending inwardly from the top and positioned adjacent said socket, a spark wheel holder having a shank with a tapered section seated in the socket and a ange to engage the top of the body around the socket, said socket having a recess formed in its wall communicating with the interior of the socket, a resilient grasping means having a portion thereof disposed in said recess and having another portion thereof extending into said socket and constructed and arranged to engage the tapered section and thereby releasably hold the spark wheel holder in position with the flange engaging the top of the body, and a key extending downwardly from the flange constructed and arranged to engage in the notch at the top of the body to position the spark wheel holder.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Number Name Date Beck Jan. 1, 1935 Gabritsch Aug. 13, 1940 Evans May 20, 1941 Campos Oct. 25, 1949 Negbaur Jan. 3, 1950 Rodanet Feb. 14, 1950 Miller Nov. 7, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date France June 16, 1920 Austria Aug. 25, 1925 Britain Oct. 13, 1927 Britain O'ct. 23, 1930 Britain May 31, 1938 France Jan. 18, 1943 Britain Jan. 10, 1945 Britain Apr. 23, 1945 Britain Oct. 9, 1947 

